Contrast
by ccqbirdies
Summary: Crazy nasty food, a bipolar chef, whiny waitress, and one of the creepiest hostesses I have ever laid my eyes on. Yet, I can't quit coming back. AmericaxBelarus
1. Chapter One: Bad Service

**Hey, I know you just clicked this, and this is crazy, but heres my story, so review it maybe?**

**Oh and it gets better in chapter two, trust me! :)**

**P.s. Soo what characters would you like to see? Pairings? I LOVE crack pairings... It's what keeps me going... SOOO leave some suggestions! :)**

* * *

**-Contrast-**

**Chapter One; Bad Service**

I kept my face buried in the menu, not daring to look up. This situation had begun as soon as I had walked in, I don't know why I hadn't just turned around and left while I still had the chance. The hostess was in my direct line of view. And glaring at me. If I looked up one more time, the awkward level would increase ten fold.

If I could have waited to eat for at least ten more minutes, I'd be well on my way to a nice McDonalds by now. But no, "Try something new!" I had convinced myself, "You didn't fly thirteen hours just to attend some lame business meeting, did you? Live a little, dude!" I had learned my lesson though:

Never try anything new_._

_ Ever._

I sat in silence for what seemed forever. If I just got up and left, it would be rude, wouldn't it? I couldn't be rude, it's not right.

Nah-who am I kidding? Since when have I actually cared about other people's feelings? I set the menu down on the table, careful not to look up. I slowly scooted my chair back, and began to stand-

"Where are you going?" The hostess snapped at me in Russian. My gaze drifted up. She was in front of the counter now... which meant closer to me; I shuddered.

"Uh, nowhere, dude. Just-" I stammered.

"You were getting up, which meant you were going somewhere. Sit down. Your food is already being prepared." She pointed towards my seat, her icy expression staying the same.

"What? I didn-" I managed before she cut me off.

"Yeah, I got tired of waiting, so I ordered for you." She ordered my food for me? This chick was giving me the creeps.

She had long, pin straight, white hair that cut off right above her waist. Her dark blue eyes seemed to be watching my every movement, questioning my existence. The large bow on her head made her look very innocent at first glance. A very deceiving vibe.

She started walking closer then, her hand outstretched._ ...What if she actually touched me?_ The thought was unbearable. "Give me your menu." She nearly growled.

No wonder business was bad here.

She pulled the worn menu from my hands and stomped back behind the counter, slapping it down in a stack with the other menus. I sat there in silence, the awkwardness only growing. I couldn't handle it, why did I listen to her, why didn't I just run out? Maybe I could start a conversation? It couldn't be that hard.

I looked up, locking eyes with her, "So, um, how long have you been working here?"

"Learn to speak better Russian before talking to me."

Harsh. Good thing another woman came out from the kitchen from behind the counter, relieving the awkwardness. She seemed much cheerier than the other one... which made me think- why wasn't _she_ the hostess?

"Thank you for coming!" She said in a very smooth, soft voice. "We all really appreciate it. As you can see, business isn't so great at the moment." She chuckled, "Right Natalia?" She said, glancing behind her.

"I suppose so... Katyusha..." Natalia said, dragging the sentence out much longer than it should of been. Her language was much more garbled than Katyusha's, and her accent very thick.

Her eyes narrowed, as if inspecting her prey.

Katyusha set the plates down on the table, sitting in the empty chair across from me. "Go ahead, eat! Eat!" she said pushing the plates towards me. One of them seemed to some sort of... Meat cutlet... And on the other plate was fried potatoes. I picked up my fork, cutting a small piece of the cutlet. I looked up, Katyusha's eyes trained on my face. I glanced to the side, Natalia acting the same, leaning over the counter. These people were really set on this.

I sighed, finally placing it in my mouth. My first thought was,

"DUDE. NASTY. SPIT IT OUT, SPIT IT OUT, SPIT. IT. OUT. THIS IS WHY WE ONLY EAT FRANKENMEAT FROM MCDONALDS." But I kept a straight face, even swallowing it.

"W-Well?" Katyusha almost squeeled. I looked up, her short platinum hair curled around her cheeks, the rest sticking up around her face. I forced a smile.

"Awesome! Dude!" I gave a thumbs up.

"Awesome?... Dude?..." her face went blank.

"It means really good..." Whoops. I forgot that they lack the originality of the American language. Poor Slavs.

Her face lightened, and she pushed the plate even closer to me. "Eat! Eat!" Her persistence was beginning to scare me, but better her than the other girl. At this point Natalia would probably be shoving it down my throat.

"Nata! Katya!" a cheerful voice called. My saving grace. A head poked around the corner of the kitchen doorway.

It was very tall man, with a hair color somewhere inbetween Natalia's white and Katyusha's platinum. He had a very prominent nose and round face which was cradled by a scarf. Wouldn't it be kind of really hot working with a scarf? Sometimes these foreigners could be confusing.

He glanced my way, a small open mouth smile plastered on his face, "Do you like it?" he asked, his voice was even softer than Katyusha's.

I nodded, "Yeah, it's..." I couldn't think of what to say. "Good!" The man walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. He was very heavy set. Not fat, but thick, or big boned.

"Ah, I see you're from America. How do you like Russia so far?" he set the towel down on the counter. Natalia then seemed to gravitate towards him, her hand outstretched, and latched onto his sleeve. He frowned. "Nata, would you min-" he started then stopped when she shot him an angry look.

"Well, I mean, it's alright but nothing like, America, ya' know?"

The chef just stood there for a moment, the smile still on his face. But I could sense anger radiating from him. Geeze, these people just didn't know how to handle the truth very well.

He turned around and slowly walked back into the kitchen without saying a word.

Katyusha leaned over the table, "It would be wise to not insult Russia around Mr. Braginsky," she whispered, "He has an odd case of nationalism. I mean we all love our country, but him..." She shook her head.

I nodded, then looked down to check my watch. I was due back at the office in ten minutes. I was still hungry, and no way would I make it to McDonalds_ and_ back to the office in time. I would just have to tough this meal out. I quickly shoveled down the cutlet and some of the potatoes, ignoring the horrible flavor. I really didn't know why these people couldn't open up a McDonalds franchise or something. There can never be too many of those. When I was done I dropped my fork on my plate and shoved the plates aside.

"Thanks, it was great but I have to go!" I quickly stood, pulling my coat on.

Katyusha's face fell, "You'll come back though, right?" I wanted to say no, make up some excuse about how I didn't have enough time or something. But... I couldn't. I don't why but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Of course I wouldn't come back, but a little white lie couldn't hurt. They surely have more customers, and I probably just came in at a bad time. They were probably playing the pity card or something to get more money.

"Of course, dude!" I grinned. Her face lit up again, and she carried the plates back into the kitchen. I turned to leave, my hand locking around the doorknob, when I felt someone touching my shoulder. I turned; it was Natalia. How did she sneak up so fast?

Just another reason not to come back.

"Thank you," She spoke slowly, as if the words were painful for her. "It means a lot to my brother." I nodded, not knowing what to say. I shrugged her hand off as I headed out the door.

I walked in silence, the cold air stinging my face. What a strange family.

* * *

**This is the first time I've written something in a while... Hope you enjoy it! If you will review may the blessings of AmeBel ever be upon yoouuuu!**


	2. Chapter Two: Just Business

**This one is a bit longer than chapter one... Sorry for the inconsistency! **

* * *

**-Contrast-**

**Chapter Two: Just Business**

I dug around in my messenger bag, trying to find my badge while glancing up at the security guard, who stood just on the other side of the door. He was giving me a death glare.  
I probably looked super suspicious to him. I don't know why I hadn't just clipped the stupid ID badge on myself before I left the hotel. My brain was a bit fried from lack of sleep and a surplus of video games.

Just as I found and slipped my fingers around the laminated identification card, my phone started to buzz.

Again.

This was around the eighth time_ this morning _that my boss had called. It was actually not that much for my stiff employer.

Mr. Kirkland was a bit of a buzz-kill. The only things he seemed to care for were his tea breaks and his "friends from the other side." Whatever that meant. Brits have some really strange terminology.

I pressed the card against the scanner, and the locked doors clicked open. The guard opened the door, eyeing me as I walked by. I quickly yanked my phone out, answering the call.

"Hello, sir-" I said breathlessly, stopping in front of a giant set of elevator doors.

"It's about time you picked up!" he seethed, "Listen, Mr. Edelstein is already here and ready to discuss the account!" he said in a hushed tone.

"What? They're an hour early!" I started to frantically press the up button over and over.

"You think I don't know that, you git? Just- just hurry!"

The line went dead as he hung up. I sighed. The elevator doors slid open, and I rushed inside.

* * *

As soon as the elevator came to a stop, it took all my power to not sprint out and yell "I'M HERE!".

I took in the large conference room. Mr. Edlestein, the man my boss had been fretting about, sat at the front of the room, hands folded on the large oval table. He had styled black hair and a serious complexion. One peice of his hair stuck out in the front, curling backwards, and a beauty mark dotted his chin.

His assistants stood on either side of him. One was a female with long brown hair, standing straight up, her hand resting on the back of his chair. She seemed very, serious. The other assistant, however, seemed more comfterable with the situation.

He was probably an albino, on account of the snow white hair and red eyes. He was leaning against the woman, chatting mindlessly.

I smoothed out the wrinkles on my suit, then cleared my throat. "Mr. Edelstein, Mr. Kirkland..." I said, trying to sound firm. My boss turned to look at me, narrowing his eyes. Mr. Edelstein simply waved his hand, "Well, well... Look who's here."

His albino assistant smirked at me. I shot him a dirty look- he was giving me bad feelings.

I did my best to smile and act confident, "Sorry, I ran into some car problems on the way here..." A complete and total lie. My game of Black Ops had just gotten pretty intense. Of course Mr. Kirkland saw right through my lies; but as long as Mr. Edelstein was content, all was good.

Mr. Edelstein glanced up, looking slightly annoyed, "It's about time you got here." I nodded, cheeks turning slightly red as I walked over to stand by my boss and Francine- his wife who stood quietly behind him- who were positioned on the opposite side of the table. "I apologize, sir."

Mr. Edelstein sighed, ignoring my comment, then contendued to talk, "Now, we can finally start." in that instant his personality changed from that of a bored adult at a bland meeting, to an intelligent businessman. His assistants exchanged a look which said, "I'm glad I'm on his side."

Mr. Edelstein smiled, folding his hands neatly on the table and, wasting no time, began, "Mr. Kirkland, I'm sure you're aware that Kirkland Textiles and Wuxo City Textiles have been partners for almost ten years as of next month, right?" Mr. Kirkland nodded slowly. "Are you also aware of the benefits Wuxo has gotten from the partnership?" Mr. Kirkland went stiff, this was probably what he was trying to avoid most.

Kirkland Textiles had been partners with Wuxo City for a while, but Kirkland had barely helped Wuxo along, while Wuxo was the sole reason Kirkland was still around. It was true, that Kirkland was the main provider for textiles across the southern US, eastern Europe, and northwest UK, but Wuxo had provided cheap silk and other quality fabric at a very low cost to us- a cost that no one else could ever dream of selling it to us for.

Mr. Kirkland cleared his throat, twiddling his thumbs under the table-top. "Well, it is a very stable partnership, and-" Mr. Edelstein cut him off sharply, a wry smile on his lips, "But what, Mr. Kirkland? It is very apparent that without Wuxo, Kirkland would crumble. Our company has waited ten years Mr. Kirkland," he stood, "Ten years we've waited for the promise of profit from partnering with your company, the promise your mother made! And what have we gotten since then? Maybe seven hundred thousand grand and good intentions for the future! We don't want good intentions, we want good results!" he smoothed out his jacket, sitting back down.

"Now, Mr. Kirkland, are you aware of the new Swedish textile company that has emerged in the last couple of years, Oxenstierna Inc?" he raised his eyebrows. My boss seemed speechless. Edelstein was beating the poor dude to death. For a moment, I actually felt bad for him.

"W-well, of course. Their sales are astronomical, especially for a company their age." Mr. Edelstein nodded, "Mr. Beilschmidt, Mrs. Heredevary, if you would please."  
His assistants shifted forward, coming closer to the table. The albino hefted a black suitcase onto the table, the woman bringing forward a blue portfolio. Mrs. Heredevary was the first to speak,

"Over their last couple years, Oxenstierna Inc. has grown tremendously, and is now considered one of the main textile manufacturers in northern Europe. In order to make more money though, they want cheaper silk. And guess who has it? Wuxo City Textiles." she cleared her throat, then glanced at Edelstein, as if to seek his approval. She contenued speaking, "We would be more than happy to partner with them, seeing as how much we will profit from it. But, they have one condition-" the albino, Mr. Beilschmidt interrupted,

"We break off all relations with Kirkland!" he sneered. What was this dudes problem? Was he happy about the end of thousands of jobs and our doomed situation? Germans are freaky. "You see, the owners of Oxenstierna want their money, and they don't want any competition. Right now, they are in northern Europe, but they will be in the UK in a few months, I'm sure you were all aware of this, hmm?" he began to enter the code on the briefcase, "And within the next year, they will expand into central Europe, then in the next three, western Europe and the east, and in five, the US and Canada!" he popped it open, still wearing a snarky smile.

"They will be one of the main providers for textiles in the modernized world! And they really don't want anything standing in the way!" Inside the briefcase, was stacks of crisp US currency. "They even gave us a bit of persuasion, if you get my drift." he glanced in my direction, and gave a small wink. Mr. Edelstein cleared his throat, establishing his position of main speaker again. Both Mr. Beilschmidt and Mrs. Heredevary stepped back, leaving both breifcase and folder on the table. "So, unless you want to end up being a small town yarn shop again-" Mrs. Heredevary tapped him on the shoulder, showing him her watch, he nodded, standing up.

"Impress me, dazzle me. Blow my mind. Show me why we should stay with Kirkland and not switch to Oxenstierna." he motioned for Beilschmidt to retreive the breifcase and folder as they began walking out. "It was lovely chatting with you boys, but I really must be going- business and such." they all began to strut from the room like proud chickens.

Just before they left, the albino turned to look at me, "Your screwed!" he whispered, a smile on his face

* * *

"Bloody Austrian!" Mr. Kirkland sat facedown on his desk in his office, hands outstretched.  
"He's not even a bloody Asian! Why is _he _the one that represented?"

Francine stood on the opposite side of the room, pouring her husband a large glass of rum. "Everything will be fine, amour!"  
Mr. Kirkland ignored her, still ranting:  
"I mean, where's Yao? Why couldn't he come himself? He just had to send his cohorts instead!" Francoine rolled her eyes, setting the glass and bottle down beside him, then walked over to me.  
"Poor Arthur, he has so much to deal with!" she whispered. I nodded.

Francine was a very... confident woman. Although she was my husband's wife, she wasn't afraid to mess around with other men. She seemed very upset at the moment though- probably because of this. It was a good thing for me, though.

Mr. Kirkland sat up, downing the whole glass, then shot me a nasty glare.  
"Get out..." he moaned, waving his hand.  
"What?"  
"Get out, you bloody git! Go! Eat lunch, go back to the hotel- I'll even give you the keys to my villa! Just leave me alone for the day!" he started to pour himself another glass, "I just want some time to think."

I nodded, leaving the office as fast as possible.

* * *

I decided to take a walk and leave my car in the company lot. I took a deep breath, then exhaled in the frigid air. If I lost my job, my life would be over. The only reason I had so much money was because of my job. I worked my way to the top, I started with nothing and managed to get this far. If I lost this job, No one else could ever give me this much of an opportunity.

My stomach let out a huge garble and I stopped. Food. That would get my mind of things- Good ole' McDonalds. I perked up a bit, a hamburger sounded good just about now-

"Hey! Mr!" a voice called. It sounded really familiar. Like certain perky hostess.

I moaned, turning to see Katyusha- the woman from that nasty cafe. She came bounding up to me, "Hey!" a huge smile was plastered on her face. "You're going the wrong way! The cafe is over here,_ turik_!" she chuckled, grabbing at my arm. Now was really not the time, but I couldn't do anything, we were well on our way there.

"You are just in time! I'm making _blenea_ today! I can make it with pork or beef- Whatever you prefer!" she looked back at me, searching for an answer.

Well, McDonald's hamburgers were made of beef (kind of).  
"Uhmm, beef." I said awkwardly, shuffling along. She nodded, her grip like a vise.

We finally arrived at that horrible place. Memories of the day before poured in, and I shuddered. I was pulled in, the warm air pushing against my face. I did have to admit, it felt very nice in there. Katyusha turned, smiling at me, "Welcome back!"

I forced a smile, then noticed Natalia and the chef sitting on the counter. They immideatly jumped off when I walked in. Natalia narrowed her eyes, and the chef plastered a huge smile on his face. "Ah! It is American man again. Hope my _Russian_ food does not gag your pathetic American throat again today. Have you been enjoying my horrible country?"

Wow, this dude can hold a grudge. I laughed awkwardly as he sauntered back into the kitchen. "Hold up brother! I brought the food you wanted from the market!" Katyusha ran behind him, leaving just me and Natalia. She leaned back on the counter, folding her arms across her chest. We made eye contact for a moment- and in that moment, a whole conversation took place:  
_"Why did you come back here?"  
"It's not like I wanted to or anything! Your sister dragged me in here!"  
"Hey, I hate her guts and all, but don't blame it on her!"  
"Dude! Calm down! I honestly just wanted McDonalds!"  
"I always heard that American's were liars-"  
"Liar? You're calling me a liar?"  
_"Precisely."  
_"Okay, you can think whatever you want, crazy! But after this, I'm never coming back!"  
"Good."  
"Good!"_

Then she broke the connection, looking away. "You can sit down anywhere you want." I nodded, finding a seat close to the window. I leaned my head on my left hand, gazing out the window. I watched little bits of snow slowly glide down from the sky. It was actually kind of relaxing.

Someone placed a glass of water infront of me.  
"Huh?" I glanced up, it was Natalia again.  
"People tend to drink with their food. Or do Americans not do that?" I shook my head, why was she being so freindly? If that's what you call it...  
"Uhmm, yeah, thanks..." I looked at her cautiously. Maybe it was poisoned? I pushed it aside, I would probably pour it in one of the plants while she wasnt looking.

Then, she did the strangest thing.

She pulled a chair up, and _sat down with me_ at _the same table_. I was shocked. What happened to her? Yesterday, she was giving me death glares and chills- even minutes ago we were having a stare-down-show-down. I sat there picking at my finger nails, looking down and feeling awkward. She cleared her throat, but made no other noises.

Katyusha rushed out of the kitchen, a white plate piled with the _blenea_ she was talking about on the way here. Once again, she saved me from the awkwardness. This situation seemed _very _familiar.

Natalia's face contorted as soon as Katyusha came into her view. She looked like she wanted to grab her hand and flip her over the table as she set the plate down. This time, the food actually smelled delectible. Maybe this cafe was better than I thought it would be- a pleasing thought.

Without saying another word I grabbed one of them off of the plate. It seemed to be a crepe stuffed with ground pork and folded into a small pocket. I stuffed half of it in my mouth. It was okay- it smelled better than it looked, and it was definitely no McDonalds hamburger. It was good enough though.

I kept stuffing my face with the _blenea_, until my hand hit an empty plate. I slowly came to a stop while chewing, realizing that I had eaten all of them. I looked up. Katyusha and Natalia were staring at me in a mix of horror and delight. "Uhm, I guess you like it, no?" Katyusha stammered. I nodded, swallowing the rest of my food. Natalia just blinked, then narrowed her eyes at me. There was that angry look I knew.

Katyusha shifted a bit, then scratched her head, "Uhm, mister, I know I do not know you well, and this may be kind of rude- But is everything okay? You seem... Off." she smiled a bit. "You just ate so fast without saying a word, it looked odd." she chuckled a bit, pushing my glass of water towards me. I took a sip. It was sparkling. Gross.

"Yeah dude, I'm fine..." I forced a smile. Katyusha smiled even wider.  
"Wow, are all Americans this bad at lying?" she stood, taking my plate and cup, taking them off to the kitchen. Before she got back into the kitchen, she turned to me. "Hey, hang in there!"

I glanced over at Natalia after Katyusha disappeared. She gave me a sideways glance. We just looked at each other for a moment, then both stood. "Uhh, thanks, dude." I stammered, pulling my coat on. She nodded, then began to say something before Katyusha came running back into the room, stopping the words from ever escaping her mouth.  
"Wait, mister! Before you go, can I have your name?"

I smiled, it would hurt to tell them, "Alfred F. Jones!" Katyusha nodded,  
"And, how long will you be staying here?"  
"I have no clue, as long as my boss want." I shrugged.  
"Really? How will you arrange a flight home in time?"  
"Oh, uhm, we have a company jet." Katyusha's eyes widened.  
"A private airplane? You own an airplane?"  
"Well, our company is sort of huge." I shrugged. Katyusha just nodded, then placed her chin in her hand, looking at me, inspecting me.  
"I see, Alfred." she nodded, her smile wavered. "Well, since you never know when you're leaving, would you like us to show you around the city?

Natalia hissed, dragging Katyusha by her arm, towards the counter. They started to yell at each other quietly. I didn't really catch any of it, just a bunch of, "-really bad idea!", "Are you crazy?", and "Double-dumb!"'s coming from that direction. After a minute, they became quiet, and Katyusha walked back over, still smiling.  
"As, I was saying, would you like us to give you a tour?"  
I opened my mouth, about to say no. I had been coming here, since I had gotten my promotion, for business trips. But when I thought of it, I had never really been out and about here. It would be nice to get out. I wasn't going back to work anytime soon.

"Sure!" I nodded. Katyusha almost jumped, while Natalia stood in the back, sulking.  
"Great!" Katyusha pulled out a small pad of paper, scribbling down an address, "Meet us at _Station Gagarina _around twenty one o' clock!" I took the small piece of paper tucking it in my pocket.

"Thank you for everything!" I waved, backing out of the door. I actually felt good, and kind of excited. I had never really been around the city at all, it would be different. I smiled, stuffing my hands in my pocket.

I was so excited, I almost forgot about my job.

* * *

**Wowow, sorry this one was so much longer... Pfft.. Anywho... Hope you liked it! Chapter three will be (hopefully) up by the end of the day!**

**Aaand, the words I stressed, are going to be explained at the end of each chapter, mmkay?**

**Blenea-** the slavic version of a crepe. it can be a breakfast food, desert, or a meal. most people eat them stuffed with meat or dipped in sour creme- but i like to melt butter and sugar on mine :)

**Turik- **not really sure if the spelling is right, but I got called this a lot when I went over to visit my family. basically a nicer way of saying stupid- it really means someone who can't speak the language. It means "Turkish"**  
**

**Station Gagarina- **a subway station in Kharkov, Ukraine. Right now, they are in Russia, but when I went to visit my family, I always thought it was a cool name.

**Review, review, review! :)**


	3. Chapter Three: Night Out

**-Contrast-**

**Chapter Three: Night Out**

I rolled over on my bed, feeling groggy. I rubbed my eyes with the backs of my hands, completely knocking my glasses- which were already halfway off of my face- off. I yawned, stretching out my arms. That nap had been awesome.

After I had gotten back to the hotel, I crashed on the bed, feeling mentally and physically beat. I peeled my eyes open, glancing down at the clock. It was 19:54. I had an hour until I had to go meet Katyusha, Natalia, and Mr. Braginsky at _Station Gagarina_. Heaven knows where, or_ what_, that was.

I sprung up, feeling quite awake now. I grabbed my wallet off of the night stand, sprinting towards the door. As I reached for the knob, I noticed a didn't have any pants on. "Ugh." I threw my head back, then sprinted over to my suitcase.

I pulled on a random pair of pants, _then _headed out the door.

* * *

I had been running around for at least thirty minutes now, searching for a bus that would get me remotely close to my destination.

"_Station Gagarina_?" I stood outside the door of a small green bus, waving the tiny scrap of paper around for the bus driver to see. He shook his head, nearly closing the door on my arm. I sighed, frantically looking for another bus. I thought taking a bus would be easier than driving, since I had no earthly clue were this place was.

I was wrong, though.

I caught yet another bus, asking if they stopped at _Station Gagarina. _This bus driver was even crankier than the last. Maybe they just turned me away because I was American? Who knew. This place was crazy.

I felt weak from running around and waving that stupid piece of paper. I wanted to scream and pull my hair out. America was never this frustrating.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and jumped. I turned to see three men with grocery bags behind me.

"Do you need any help, sir?" the smallest one said. He looked around ten and had shaggy, dirty blonde hair. I almost said no, but then I remembered, I_ did _need help. Maybe this place didn't hate me as much as I thought.  
"Oh! Yes, uhmm, do any of you know how to get to _Station Gagarina_?" I held up the crumpled piece of paper.

The tallest had medium, bright blonde hair and thin wired glasses. He smiled, nodding,  
"Of course! That's the main subway station!" he cupped his hand around his cheek,  
"But you're not going to get there soon using the busses..." he glanced over at the third man. He had long brown hair and a worried look permanently painted on his face.

The worried one shrugged, then met my eyes, "I-I guess we could give you a ride there. Our car is parked over there." he motioned to a beat up Volkswagon, parked awkwardly on the sidewalk.

I felt a burden roll off of my shoulders, "R-really? Wow, thanks dudes!" The tallest smiled as we made our way over to the car. They hefted the bags in the trunk, then we all crawled in. The two men sat in the front, and the smallest sat in the back with me. He held out his hand, offering it to me. I shook it.

"Hello! My name is Raivis Galante!" he smiled. He was so adorable...  
"My name is Alfred!" I could see the men exchanging smiles. The boy pointed to the two in the front,  
"And that's Toris Laurinaitis and Eduard von Bock, my brothers!" I nodded.

He was really bouncy, chatting away while swinging his feet, shifting, and picking at his fingers. Toris noticed my observations and cut in,  
"He's just excited, he gets to start junior college in a few days." he gave a small smile.

Junior collage? This boy was around 15 or 16, then? How bizarre, he looked so young! It was probably his height or his voice... Or something...

Toris knew what I was thinking, and his smile widened, "I know, it's hard to beleive." Raivis looked up, sticking his tongue out,  
"Oh, Toris and Eduard are just worried that I'm growing up too fast!" he joked, laughing at himself.

Eduard chuckled, then glanced back at me, "You're not from around here, I'm guessing?" I shook my head. He looked forward, towards the road again. "Of course you're not from around here," he leaned forward on the wheel, steering through traffic. "Doesn't even know where _Station Gagarina_ is.." Toris sat quietly, twiddling his thumbs.

Raivis almost scared me to death as he shot straight up in his seat, sticking a finger out towards the front of the car, grazing Eduard's head.  
"There it is!" he pointed at a large plastic covering, with a blue nameplate on it, reading,  
_Station Gagarina Central_  
People swarmed the entrance, all piling inside. A bunch of people also sat with their backs to the transparent plastic building, selling fruits, vegetables, souveniers, and flowers.

Eduard brought the car to a stop, "Okay! I can't go any further... Too much traffic." I nodded, reaching for the door handle.  
"Oh, and before you go!" Eduard smiled, digging through his front pocket and pulling out a small white business card, handing it to me. "If you ever need any help!" he winked, then unlocked the door.

"Goodbye Mr. Alfred!" Raivis waved. I waved back, then closed the door, running to the sidewalk. I glanced down at the business card. _"Baltics: Fine Dining_"

I stuffed it in my pocket, then checked my watch. 20: 52. I was actually a bit early! I looked back at the "Baltic's'" car, and they were well on their way. They seemed kind of cool.

* * *

I turned towards the station, looking for the Braginsky siblings. I paced around, trying to spot a freakishly huge guy with a scarf, a smiling girl with short hair, and a very creepy platinum blonde. I was so focused on my task, I didn't notice a pair of leather boots sticking out straight infront of me. I lost my balance as the tip of my shoe caught them, and fell over.

"What the heck, dude?" I rolled over to see a very content man sitting there, surrounded by flowers. He had a pleasent expression on his face.  
"Oh, I'm sorry!" he smiled. I sighed, pushing my self back onto my feet.  
"It's fine..." I mumbled. He sat there for a moment, then started to stroke one of his flowers.  
"Why are you in such a rush?" he adjusted the flower to sit with the others in a tidy bouquet. "Meeting a special lady?"

My face started turning red, "No!" I snorted, "Just going out with some friends." I started walking away.  
"Wait!" I looked back at him.  
"Flowers are good for any occasion you know! Especially tulips!" Was this guy _trying_ to get on my nerves?

"I don't need any flowers..." I tried walking away again.  
"Do you have any gifts for your "friends?" I stopped. Gifts?  
"What do you mean?" I turned around, cautiously taking a step closer. He smiled wider,  
"Didn't you know? It's a slavic custom to bring a gift when you go visit friends!" he was probably lying so I would buy some of his stupid tulips. I almost made a run for it, but then I thought, "_What if he's telling the _truth_?"_

I sighed, reaching for my wallet, "How much for one bouquet?"  
"Ten rupels!" he held out a huge bouquet, and we exchanged. He gave me a small salute as I walked away, counting the money eagerly.

"Oi! Alfred! Over here!" I turned to see Katyusha waving her arms around. Natalia was wrapped around her brother's arm, face buried in his sleeve. I genuinely smiled as she ran over to me, grabbing me by my elbow and hauling me over to her family. "I am so excited for this evening!" she squealed.

Katyusha had changed out of her ratty, button up blouse and worn navy skirt, into a green sundress that was slightly torn at the bottom. Her hair was pinned back, out of her face. Natalia had changed out of an outfit that was similar to Katyusha's, into a long sleeved, blue dress. She had also changed her bow.

Mr. Braginsky always had that strange I'm-sweet-but-I-hate-you-so-much kind of smile on his face. He still wore his scarf, and a long, brown coat that went down to his calves.

"Umm, I got you guys some flowers..." I handed them to Katyusha, who thanked me. I turned to Mr. Braginsky, and held out my hand, "Mr. Braginsky, I'm sorry I offended you earlier, dude. Can we just start all over?"

"No, no, no!" he pulled his scarf down a bit to reveal his chin, "Doctor!"  
"Huh?"  
"Doctor Braginsky!" he reached his hand out taking mine and squeezing it _very_ hard. I tried not to yelp.

I looked over at Katyusha who shrugged. Was he really a "doctor?" Natalia finally released her brothers arm, still holding onto his sleeve with the tip of her fingers. She narrowed her eyes at me.  
"Are you ready to ruin my evening, American?"  
"I have a name you know..." I said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood.  
"I don't call swine by names."

Ouch.

Katyusha rolled her eyes, "Don't mind her. You just have to let her warm up to you!"  
"What am I, a pot of water set to boil?"  
"Just ignore her."

Katyusha began to walk forward, motioning that I follow her.

* * *

There were a bunch of churches and old building that we looked at. Katyusha got really excited about showing me the city, even Doctor Crazy joined in, informing me on the history and dates of everything. All of the buildings were lit up, so it wasn't hard getting around. Natalia just trailed behind, and sometime I caught her glaring at me.

We stopped at few parks, looking at the greenery, fountains, and statues. It was a very big city, so we only had time for a few sights (which I was partially grateful too, since sight seeing really wasn't my forte). Before our evening was over, we decided to get ice cream, which was actually pretty good.

We were casually strolling back towards the station, Katyusha, Dr. Braginsky and I chatting lightly. Natalia just doing her own thing. Then, something caught my eye. It was a large, pink storefront covered with glass. Elegant green vines twisted up the side, wrapping around the store sign.  
"Hey, Katyusha, what's in that building?"

All three siblings stopped in their tracks, exchanging glances. There was a long silence before Dr. Braginsky finally spoke up,  
"Uhm, it is new cafe here. We try to avoid any contact with anything or anyone that has to do with that place..."  
"Why?" I asked, puzzled. It looked like a nice little joint.

"Well-" Katyusha began, before Natalia cut her off,  
"Why? _Why?_ Because the food is rotten and stupid and they say they are authentic but they _obviously_ are just a bunch of wannabes who buy frozen food and are just experts at thawing and microwaving! The atmosphere is so pink and girly it makes me want to barf up rainbows, no one with the slightest amount of dignity would be caught _dead_ there! Finally, the employees are just a bunch of pansies, losers, jerks and heartbreakers!"

Wow. That was the most I'd ever heard her say. She actually sounded _passionate_ about something. What if... She actually had feelings?

Pfft, impossible.

Katyusha and Dr. Braginsky stood there awkwardly while Natalia seethed. She obviously had some issues.  
"Uhmm, it is getting late, Alfred. Do you need any help finding your hotel?" Katyusha tried to mend the awkward atmosphere.

I nodded my head.  
We began to walk off, and I glanced at the pink cafe one last time.

There was a blonde waitress leaning against the counter. She had straight hair pulled back into a ponytail, secured with a pink ribbon. She turned slightly, noticing me through the window. The waitress smiled a bit, waving.

I waved back- awkwardly of course.

* * *

**I think this is the worst chapter yet... I'm sorry t.t But it was important, _I swear. It just wasn't interesting. Or long. But I'll try to make it up with chapter four. Yeaaah._**

**By the way if you can guess who the tulip man is I'll kiss you.**

**Review's are welcomed! **


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